“Behoovement”

So much horribly polluted water flowed under the bridge of non-change during the US presidential campaign that saw the best contenders forced to the sidelines by the elites and MSM. I know, that acronym looks like a disease, and it is: It stands for main stream media, which many of us now refer to as Lame Stream Media and those who feed it, as their Presstitutes. Do they deserve such an opprobrium? Oh yes, and more.

The owner of “Good Marriage Central” blog (which has nothing to do with marriage) coined this wonderful word: “Behoovement.” So I picked up on it and commented: “Behoovement would make a great movement of self empowerment.

The comment basically took itself from there… It “behooves” me to move on my own towards my own ends and own future. I want nothing whatsoever to do with “collectives” or “groups” or any concept that takes individuals that never got a chance to develop their sense of self and omelette’s them in “the group” starting from kindergarten all the way to their sad and powerless collective ends.

When (not if, there is no if) I see a need I will not bitch or rant about it. I will neither ignore it nor try to get a group together to deal with it, or pressure some other group actually responsible for the problem to come up with solutions to it. I will not work with, but only alongside, other individuals when appropriate, in solving social problems. In most cases (as I’ve been doing for decades) I will consider the need, assess my own resources as they may apply to the need, then get to work resolving that one problem that prioritizes itself to my mind.

My personal approach: there aren’t “homeless people” who become a collateral condition, there is one homeless person that needs my help. There aren’t “the poor” who remain faceless, nameless, hence have no feelings, there is one poor person, say a single mom with a ramshackle shack of a house that needs repairs to keep a roof over her children and herself and I can certainly deal with that.

In these the last of the disappearing “rich” worlds, there are still more people of means than not. It is up to these people of means to take responsibility for those around them who have become “without means” due to society’s negligence or downright exploitation. If these last of the rich do not volunteer to see justice is done from their own pockets, and with their own time; if they’d rather spend their wherewithal on entertainment and toys, and use blame to shrug off their responsibilities, then so be it. Let that be the kind of society and world the next generation inherits and selfishly continues to develop, until “Donald Trump” will seem a pretty mild intrusion compared to what’s really in store for the self-styled entitled.

That’s my statement in regard to being a change agent and making change.

When I think this way I’m reminded of the story of a reporter walking along a seashore after a savage storm. He noticed hundreds of starfish strewn upon the shore above the inter-tidal zone, dying. Further along he saw a little girl frantically picking up the animals and flinging them back into the ocean. Perplexed, the reporter approached the girl and after walking behind her for a few moments, said to her above the noise of the retreating waves, “You realize that no matter how many you throw back in the sea, it won’t make any real difference to how many are going to die?” Without interrupting her labour, as she flung another into the sea, she replied, “It makes a difference to that one.”

And that is how a self empowered individual must look at problems. I am not a group, or collective or “billions” – I am one. There aren’t thousands of starfish stranded upon the shore, there is only the one I’m bending down to pick up and throw back in the water where it will continue with its life.

If there is one thing that a too long life has taught me as an observer, it’s that institutions usually end up doing the exact opposite of what they are set up to do, and that’s because they are wide open to the corrupt nature that is innate to Earthians in general, but particularly to those who seek any kind of leadership. As a history teacher taught me when I was very young, “Power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Those who refuse to see this truism do so at their own peril. Some New Testament quotes I remember from my days as a very religious person. These are from the gospel according to Matthew, chapter 5.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to every one in the house.

The point I am making with these quotes is, it is up to those who witness the child helping the starfish, to join her in her labour of love. It isn’t up to her to convince them they should do this.

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16 thoughts on ““Behoovement””

I like the word “behoovement” and the meaning you attribute to it. I realize that I’m a lone practitioner of life and have always felt that if I can help ONE person, I will have accomplished something. Maybe the buddy system, of one-on-one, will turn out to be the great equalizer…

Funny enough, if only we realized it (and it’s probably better for us that we do not see ourselves thus) but we the loners, the self-empowered thinkers, the empaths, are the ones that have kept the balance from plunging into the darkness over the ages, never the “great societies” of history . We are the pillars of society, while society carries on worshiping invisible sky wizards, popular entertainers and entertaining or murderous politicians. We are the only reason Earthianity still exists, but I think our time, like the time of the Elves in Middle Earth, is running out. “They” will find us and either process us into their societal gob and glob, or kill us. I think our days are numbered, and I for one do not regret it. Certainly I do not fear it, though I won’t go out of my way to make it easy for “them” to get me… 🙂

Thanks for this one. No more rants, no more tears, no more fear, no more confronting a faceless enemy. One at a time we light our candles, do our best to effect positive change. It all starts with one of us. One of us is each of us. Each of us could be all of us, one solution at a time. One planet, one people, one day.

Thanks for your reply and supporting words, Phil. “It all starts with one of us. One of us is each of us. Each of us could be all of us, one solution at a time. One planet, one people, one day.” Yes!!!!!!!!!!

Here is another analogy for you, A runnaway juggernaut is heading towards a crowd. You can lift one child out of the way and leave the rest to take care of themselves, or you can shout a warning so that everyone has a chance to escape their fate. I think it behooves us to do both.

Good thought, Frank. Depending on how fast one’s mind works, and how “cosmic” one’s outlook, certainly when possible, do both, but what if only one was possible and there was time to think about it? In Gandhi’s words: “I must do what I must do.” And basically that’s it for me and no guilt, no “I should have done this, or that instead.”

If I’ve ever been a help to anyone, it’s been as an individual. No committees, no planning groups, just me. I “lost faith” in the “system” when I was a little kid. Well; closer to the mark, I doubt that I ever had “faith” in the “system”. Were a group of systemics to see those starfish, they’d talk about what “should be done” until the waves buried them all.

There is another urban area near unto where I live. During the early 1950s many huge “garden apartment” complexes were built. They were slipshod and began to fall apart within seven years. Gradually, people moved out of them and as might be expected, drug users began moving into the husks if these places. It only took thirty years for the city to decide to knock them down. When they were demolished, the city appealed to the Fed for money to build new housing. True to their nature, they did a study; then a feasibility analysis; the costs were gone over and the proposals turned down. This little game went on for about a decade. Meanwhile, the city grew and housing became a real problem. At last, the pastor of a small Baptist church met with a local priest and an imam. They discussed the situation and agreed to set aside their differences. Dozens of construction people – electricians, plumbers, HVAC experts, carpenters and masons – volunteered to do what they could. Working side by side, they rebuilt the whole area within fourteen months. Some of them stayed from start to finish, some only for a few days; but everyone did what they could. What they created was a village of small homes where people could live without fear. The selling of the homes was done through one real estate agent who volunteered her services. People who might never even dream of owning a home – bought homes. At last, the federal government sat up and took notice. “Someone from Washington” met with the Baptist minister who started it all and offered several million dollars to him to “underwrite” “further development.” The minister had him escorted to the city line. Should I add, “and he was never seen again?” 😛